Guide

How much does billboard advertising cost in the UK?

Real 2026 prices for 48 sheet, 96 sheet, 6 sheet and digital billboards, why London costs almost double the North, the extras people forget, and the cheaper ways to get your advert on the street.

By Christopher Fagan. Updated 3 November 2026.

The short answer

A standard roadside billboard in the UK costs anywhere from about £200 to over £1,000 for a two week cycle, depending almost entirely on where it is. A 48 sheet in a Northern city was being quoted at roughly £550 to £750 per site for two weeks in 2026, while the same format in London starts at close to £1,000 and rises steeply in central zones. Printing, artwork and VAT are extra, and most sites are only sold in two week blocks.

Billboard prices by format

These are typical UK prices published or quoted by media owners and specialist agencies in 2026, before VAT and production.

Format	Typical cost
6 sheet (bus shelter or high street panel)	About £470 to £630 per panel for two weeks in Northern cities, more in London
48 sheet (6m by 3m roadside billboard)	About £200 in quiet areas, £550 to £750 in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds or Newcastle, and close to £1,000 and up in London, all for two weeks
96 sheet (12m by 3m)	Roughly double a 48 sheet at the same location
Digital roadside screen (digital 48 sheet)	Around £335 to £450 per site per week for a share of the rotation in the North, 40 to 45% more in London
Five site digital campaign, four weeks	About £6,700 to £9,050 in the North, £12,000 to £16,300 in London
Landmark screens (Piccadilly Lights and similar)	Tens of thousands of pounds a week
Digital advertising van with driver	From £595 a day, both sides, your advert only

Why location changes everything

Media owners price each site on the audience it is expected to reach, measured by the industry body Route. A 48 sheet in central London can reach 50,000 or more people a day, against 25,000 to 30,000 for a comparable site in Manchester, so the London site costs more even though the poster is the same size. Northern cities are typically 40 to 45% cheaper than London for equivalent inventory, which is why a £10,000 budget buys about three London 48 sheets for four weeks or eight to ten sites across Manchester and Leeds.

The extras to budget for

• Printing. A 48 sheet poster is printed on paper or vinyl and posted by the media owner's crew, typically adding around £50 to £100 per site per posting. Digital screens have no print cost.
• Artwork. Design is rarely included. Budget a few hundred pounds if you need the creative made.
• VAT. Almost all published prices are before VAT.
• Minimum terms. Static billboards are sold in two week cycles. If you only need a weekend, you still pay for the fortnight.
• Share of time. On a digital screen you are usually one of six advertisers in the loop, so your advert is on screen for a sixth of the time.
• Long term discounts. Expect to pay around 85% of the per cycle rate for an eight week booking and about 73% for six months.

Cheaper ways to get your advert outside

• Go North. If your audience is outside London, the same money buys two to three times the sites.
• Book quiet sites and quiet months. January and February are cheaper than the run up to Christmas.
• Use digital for short bursts. Digital screens can often be bought by the day or week rather than the fortnight.
• Hire a mobile billboard. A digital advertising van costs from £595 a day with a driver, carries only your advert on both sides and goes to the exact streets, venues and times you choose. For a launch, an event or a one day push it is usually the cheapest way to put a large screen in front of the right people.

Billboard or advertising van?

Choose a billboard when you need a constant presence on one busy road for weeks. Choose a van when timing and location matter more than duration, when you want to cover several areas in a day, or when you want to test outdoor advertising before committing to a two week cycle. Our guide to mobile billboard advertising costs has the full van pricing.

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